Hey gang,
We are currently in Iowa at Red Rock Lake – Whitebreast camp.
Been wanting to get out in my kayak but mother nature has other ideas.
Its either too windy or rain. I may be gun-shy. Let me explain.
I’ve been in both and I have to say that the wind wins most of the time. I got dumped in 50 degree water when I got pushed against my anchor-line. I froze my butt off. Shivering uncontrollably, but I had to swim to shore and pull off my boots that were now full of water.
Then I went back in with just my socks to protect my feet and try and get back out to the kayak.
I managed to get the now upside down boat, flipped it back over and some of my gear of course was on the lake bottom. What was floating I grabbed and put back into the crate that was bungied to the boat. Lesson here was strap your rods down when moving or put floats on ’em. I lost the most expensive one of course.
Now I tried desperately to get back into the boat but my water soaked jeans and sweatshirt held me back. I tried several times but decided to swim the boat back after cutting the anchor-line with a float attached so I could retrieve it later.
My feet were froze as I walked tippy toe in the shallow water to shore towing the boat for a while and then letting it loose so the wind could push it to shore. Bit it got hung up in the submerged trees and out I went again.
Thank God for my PFD. Finally got the boat to shore and I pulled myself and it up on dry land.
I was shivering so bad it scared me. I made the quarter mile walk back to the truck and drove back to the trailer to get these wet clothes off. and warm up.
It took a good hour for me to stop trembling. But didnt say anything to Jesse for fear he would “ground” me. He didnt notice anyway.
I got up the strength to go back to get the boat and noticed the “butt” shaped water mark now on the Kings’ leather seat. Oh well.
After getting the kayak loaded back up I took a deep breath and vowed never to be so adventurous and forge into the wind like I did.
I thank God for letting me learn this way while He still held onto my lifeline.
Maybe I’ll get out there soon enough.